Versione Italiana

 

HYDRAULICS AND HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES DIVISION

 

Cultural, scientific and educational aspects of Hydraulics and Hydraulic Structures are addressed with respect to the study of water problems in the context of Civil, Environmental and Land Management Engineering. These concerns and investigations are of relevance to all of the water problems that are managed and steered by important regional and state agencies in the Parma area, such as the River Po Inter-Regional Agency, the River Po Authority, and the Hydrographic Service. Special attention is therefore focussed on the hydraulic protection of land, but without neglecting the more traditional fields of Hydraulics and Hydraulic Structures.

 

Research relating to hydraulic protection from surface water is mainly devoted to the evaluation and management of hydraulic risk through the development and application of one and two-dimensional mathematical models of shallow water flows, design and validation of flood detention basins, etc.. Other important topics concern debris flow dynamics, with emphasis on fluid rheology and flow propagation, sediment transport, and pollution modelling at the basin scale.

These areas of concern are investigated using pure and applied research strategies, with the latter strategies being adopted by contracted private and public organizations; the most important of these contracts are those with the River Authority and Inter-Regional Agency of the Po River, as well as those with the Environmental boards of the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Parma District.

 

Research relating to groundwater involves an investigation and analysis of flux and the problems relating to water transport; in particular, the mathematical modelling of water flux in regional aquifers is utilized with the aim of finding new and more efficient strategies for the management of water resources. Experimental, theoretical and numerical studies are performed with a view to assessing groundwater quality. New methodologies are derived from field investigations, resulting in an improvement in the quality, condition and efficiency of aquifers, and an attendant reduction in the cost of subsequent monitoring and maintenance. Theoretical and numerical studies simulating pollution transport in groundwater are in progress; they include the detailed description of the development of the pollution event (direct problem), and the identification of hydraulic parameters (inverse problem) affecting the behaviour of aquifers.

 

The main topics of research in Hydraulics include the experimental analysis of turbulence in gravity waves in the breaking condition and swash zone, in collaboration with Italian and foreign universities involved in European projects. There is a specific interest on the rheology and dynamics of granular systems and non-Newtonian fluids, free surface-flow instabilities, free surface and turbulence interaction and sediment transport in sheet flow conditions. The methodology used is both experimental and theoretical. A new optical instrument for measuring 2-D tangential velocity has been developed (patent pending).

 

In addition to these investigations, we consider cultural aspects that deal with the more traditional subjects in the field of Hydraulic Structures, such as those relating to the design, structure and placement of aqueducts, sewer systems, spillways and stilling basins of dams, bank protection with dykes, deflectors etc..

 

Research in these areas is conducted using mathematical modelling and an experimental approach in the Department Hydraulic Laboratory.

 

In particular, advanced research is centred on the following topics:

- Experimental and numerical investigation of flood routing and flooding caused by inadequate river conveyance or dam and levee breaking;

- Analysis of embankment seepage in saturated and unsaturated conditions;

- Design and management of aqueduct networks, from a quantitative point of view and in terms of the quality of delivered water coming from different sources and/or after quality treatment;

- Development of theoretical and numerical procedures for the tracking of pollutant release in aquifers; monitoring release history allows a better forecast of the behaviour of the pollutant and is considered a crucial factor in environmental forensics;

- Experimental investigations concerning swash zone dynamics;

- Experimental investigations centred on the interaction between strong intensity turbulence and the free surface;

- Analytical investigations on the generation of finite-magnitude roll waves of non-Newtonian fluids;

- Experimental investigation of the force on an obstacle due to a granular stream;

- Mathematical modelling of sediment and pollutant transport at the basin and branch scale, with land description by means of DEM.

 

 

Patents

An optical instrument for measuring 2-D tangential velocity; patent pending No PR2004A000002, 2004.

 

 

National Scientific Research Programs (MIUR-COFIN)

Groundwater transport of toxic and radioactive pollutants: modeling and experiments for the direct and inverse problem solution.

National coordinator: prof. Marzio Marseguerra (Polytechnic of Milan). Local coordinator prof. Maria Giovanna Tanda. Years 2002-2004.

 

Groundwater transport of toxic and radioactive pollutants in natural and artificial porous media: models and experiments.

National coordinator: prof. Marzio Marseguerra (Polytechnic of Milan). Local coordinator prof. Maria Giovanna Tanda. Years 2004-2006.

 

 

European Research Projects

INCORE - Integrated Concept for Groundwater Remediation (Contract No. EVK1-CT-1999-00017).

Local coordinator (for  the Unit of the Polytechnic of Milan) prof. Maria Giovanna Tanda. Years 2000-2003.

 

 

Contracts

- Società Sangemini S.p.A. “Semi-quantitative Numerical model of the Sangemini aquifer”, Scientific responsible prof. Maria Giovanna Tanda. Years 2002-2003.

- Inter-Regional Agency of the Po river (AIPO) “ Flooding scenarios due to levee breaking in the Po river, between Secchia and Panaro, using a numerical 2-D model”, Scientific responsible prof. Paolo Mignosa. Year 2001-2002.

- River Po Authority “Flooding scenarios in area between Parma and Enza rivers due to levee breaking using 2-D numerical models”, Scientific responsible prof. Paolo Mignosa. Year 2004.

-  Inter-Regional Agency of the Po river (AIPO) “Agreement for planning and sharing of a new Laboratory for Hydraulic Physical Models in Boretto (RE)”. Years 2003-2005.

- Regione Emilia Romagna (Servizio Difesa del Suolo) “Analysis of hydraulic protection of Parma district, with specific attention to the flood detention basin on the Baganza stream”, Scientific responsible prof. Paolo Mignosa. Years 2003-2004.

- Amministrazione provinciale di Parma “Evaluation of water resource in the mountain area of the Province of Parma ”, in collaboration with other Departments, Scientific responsible for the DICATeA prof. Paolo Mignosa. Years 2003-2004.

- Impresa Biondi S.p.A. “Physical model of the effluent of the flood storage reservoir A3 on the Arno stream, upstream of Gallarate”, Scientific responsible prof. Paolo Mignosa. Year 2003.

- Amministrazione Provinciale di Genova “Physical model of the confluence of the Varenna stream and of Cantalupo stream”, Scientific responsible prof. Maria Giovanna Tanda. Year 2004.

 

Permanent Staff

prof. Paolo Mignosa

prof. Massimo Ferraresi

prof. Sandro Longo

prof. Maria Giovanna Tanda

prof. Francesca Aureli

prof. Andrea Maranzoni

prof. Andrea Zanini

 

Contract Researchers

ing. Marco D'Oria

ing. Renato Vacondio

 

PhD Students

ing. Donato Citarella

 

Recent publications

  1. ALBERTI L. & A. ZANINI, Application of the integral pumping test in Milano. In “First conference on Applied environmental Geology in central and eastern Europe”, Vienna 7-10 Ottobre 2003
  2. AURELI F. & P. MIGNOSA, Flooding scenarios due to levee breaking in the Po river, Water Management 157, 2004.
  3. AURELI F., MARANZONI A. & P. MIGNOSA, Experimental modeling of rapidly varying flows on wet bed and in presence of submersible obstacles,  Second International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics “River Flow 2004”, Naples, 23-25 June 2004.
  4. AURELI F., MARANZONI A. & P. MIGNOSA, Synthetic hydrographs as a design tool for flood routing evaluation,  Second International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics “River Flow 2004”, Naples, 23-25 June 2004.
  5. BUTERA I. & TANDA M. La ricostruzione della storia del rilascio di inquinanti negli acquiferi: impiego di rilevazioni a tempi diversi e impatto delle eterogeneità dell'acquifero. L'ACQUA. vol. 3, pp. 27-35 ISSN: 1125-1255, 2004.
  6. BUTERA I. & TANDA M.G., Analysing river bank seepage with a synthetic design hydrograph, ICE – Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, June 2006, Volume 159, pp. 119-127, ISSN 1741 7589.
  7. BUTERA I., TANDA M.G. & ZANINI A., The recovering of the pollutant release function in unsaturated aquifers, in XXX – Convegno di Idraulica e Costruzioni Idrauliche – IDRA 2006, Roma, Settembre 2006.
  8. COLOMBO E., DEANGELIS M.L., DE BORTOLI E. & M.G. TANDA, Comparison of Management Scenarii in a Regional Groundwater System, J. River Basin Management, Vol.1, No.3, 2003
  9. FERRARESI, M. & S. LONGO,  Modello distribuito di qualità delle acque superficiali a scala di bacino. Atti del XXVIII Convegno di Idraulica e Costruzioni Idrauliche, Potenza, 2002.
  10. LONGO, S. & A. LAMBERTI, Granular shear flow mechanics. Experiments in Fluids 32/3, pp 313-325, DOI 10.1007/s003480100359, 2002.
  11. LONGO, S. & M. FERRARESI, Modello distribuito di erosione a scala di bacino. Atti del XXVIII Convegno di Idraulica e Costruzioni Idrauliche, Potenza, 2002.
  12. LONGO, S. & M. PETTI, Misure e Controlli Idraulici. McGraw-Hill Italia, Collana di Istruzione Scientifica, serie di Ambiente e Territorio (in italian) ISBN 88-386-6137-5, XI+415 pp., 2005.
  13. LONGO, S., PETTI, M. & LOSADA, I.J., Turbulence in the surf zone and in the swash zone: a review. Coastal Engineering, Elsevier, Vol. 45/3-4, pp.129-147, 2002.
  14. LONGO, S., The Effects of Air Bubbles on Ultrasound Velocity Measurements. DOI : 10.1007/s00348-006-0183-0. Experiments in Fluids, Springer, 41/4, pp 593-602, 2006.
  15. LONGO, S., Turbulence under spilling breakers using wavelets. Experiments in Fluids, 34/2, pp. 181-191, DOI 10.1007/s00348-002-0545-1, 2003.
  16. LONGO, S., Turbulence under spilling breakers using wavelets. Experiments in Fluids, Springer, 34/2, pp 181-191, DOI 10.1007/s00348-002-0545-1, 2003.
  17. LONGO, S., Two-phase Flow Modeling of Sediment Motion in Sheet-flows above Plane Beds. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE  , Vol. 131, No 5, pp. 366-379,  ISSN 0733-9429/2005/5-1-16, doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429, 131:5(366), 2005.
  18. MAIONE U., MIGNOSA P. & M. TOMIROTTI, Regional estimation of synthetic design hydrographs, J. River Basin Management, Vol.1, No.2, 2003.
  19. PETTI, M. & S. LONGO, Turbulence experiments in the swash zone. Coastal Engineering, Elsevier, Vol. 43/1, pp.1-24, 2001.
  20. TANDA M. . Trasporto degli inquinanti nel saturo. In: LUCA BONOMI. Bonifica dei siti Caratterizzazione e tecnologie di risanamento. (vol. 1, pp. 222-233). ISBN: 88-386-6278-9,  2006.
  21. TANDA M.G. Recenti sviluppi nell'idrologia delle acque sotterranee, Relazione alla Conferenza Nazionale “Il monitoraggio idrologico in Italia”, Roma 10-11 Novembre 2005, Supplemento alla Rivista L’Acqua, n.4/2006.

 

Figure 1 Mathematical model of the Sangemini aquifer

 

 

 

Figure 2.  Experimental (upper picture) and numerical (lower picture) water level results after a dam break.

Figure 3. Granular velocity in the presence of a circular cylinder. PIV measurements.